Author: Reporter

Judge Susan Crawford preserved the narrow majority of liberals on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 1 by defeating conservative Brad Schimel, but in a way the real loser of the election was billionaire Elon Musk. The South African oligarch and his MAGA affiliated groups sunk at least $21 million into the normally low-profile race and paid three individual voters $1 million each for signing a petition in an effort to goose turnout in the pivotal battleground state contest. That made the race the first major test of the political impact of Musk, whose prominence in Donald Trump’s destructive...

The rent is due, but Rahmani has no money to pay it. The Afghan father of two worked for a U.S.-backed organization in Kabul, which put him at risk of Taliban retribution. Now he is among thousands of newly arrived refugees who lost financial assistance when the Trump administration cut off funding for the federal refugee program in January. His family’s monthly rent and utilities total nearly $1,850, an unfathomable amount compared to what he once paid in Kabul. He has spent weeks looking for work, walking along the suburban highway across from his family’s apartment, inquiring at small...

Israel’s renewed military offensive in the Gaza Strip threatens to be even deadlier and more destructive than the last, as it pursues wider aims with far fewer constraints. Israel resumed the war with a surprise bombardment early March 18 that killed hundreds of Palestinians, ending the ceasefire and vowing even more devastation if Hamas does not release its remaining hostages and leave the territory. President Donald Trump has expressed full support for the renewed offensive and suggested in February that Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians be resettled in other countries. Iran-backed militant groups allied with Hamas are in disarray. Israeli...